Westmoreland category, Page 532
Westmoreland County hospitality grant program opens Monday
Westmoreland County will begin accepting applications for hospitality grants Monday. Commissioners have said they expect to award up to 200 grants, which will be capped at $20,000 each, to local restaurants, taverns and hotels as part of a state program to assist businesses among the hardest hit by the ongoing...
‘Absolutely beautiful’: West Penn Hospital staff gave Harrison man 2nd goodbye with dying mother
It was time. The soulful tones of Diana Ross’ version of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” playing from a nurse’s cellphone cut through the surreal moment. Motown music, her favorite, was the soundtrack to 74-year-old Josephine Ferguson’s final breaths, after covid-19 devastated her previously healthy body. Gregory Del Duca, her...
‘Reverberation of grief’: Covid losses take toll on Western Pennsylvania residents, communities
It has been nearly a year since the world of Ludmil Velev changed forever. For a few months in early 2020, his mother was visiting Pittsburgh from Bulgaria, thrilled to be with her granddaughter. “I’m happy I spent time with her,” said Velev, 44, of Greenfield. “She was extremely happy...
Pre-St. Patrick’s Fest held in Irwin
A Pre-St. Patrick’s Day Food and Family Fun Fest was held in Downtown Irwin on Saturday. Thirteen restaurants and businesses participated in the event selling Irish food, drinks and other items. Children’s games, karaoke and photos with Saint Patrick were offered inside the Shidle Lodge, and a balloon artist was...
Greensburg man accused of attempting to smuggle Xanax pills and painkillers into prison
Westmoreland County Prison guards processing an incoming inmate are credited with thwarting an attempt to smuggle about 100 anti-anxiety and painkiller pills into the lockup, according to court documents. Jamel C. Miles, 33, of Greensburg was arraigned this week on multiple criminal counts of attempt to deliver controlled substances, possession...
Monroeville man dies in Murrysville motorcycle crash
A 24-year-old Monroeville man died Saturday morning of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle crash Saturday in Murrysville. The Westmoreland County Coroner identified the man as Robert S. Mahan. According to Murrysville police, Mahan was headed south on Sardis Road near Cal-Ken Court about 12:45 a.m. when his motorcycle collided...
New director of Community Foundation of Westmoreland County looks to make her mark
The new executive director of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County knows how important it is to build connections — and how much harder that is during a pandemic. “I think the most important step is getting out in the community and increasing my understanding of the challenges and opportunities,...
Greensburg couple honored with Master Gardener Emeritus status
Larry and Sonnie Miller of Greensburg are the first husband and wife team to join the ranks of Master Gardener Emeriti with the Penn State Master Garden Program of Westmoreland County. Master Gardener Emeritus status recognizes distinguished service of at least 1,500 volunteer hours and 10 or more years of...
Life during covid: North Huntingdon home health care supervisor writes fiction novel to escape stressVideo
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series examining how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the lives of members of our community. Since the onset of covid-19, there’s been no such thing as a routine home health care visit. Although the spread of coronavirus has slowed in the region, a North...
Pharmacist: Vaccine clinic at Greensburg Salem for more than teachers, district employees
Friday’s covid vaccine clinic at Greensburg Salem High School was open to more than just school district employees — most of whom were ineligible to be inoculated. Ed Christofano, president of Hayden’s Pharmacy, said he took issue with how district officials portrayed the event. An announcement on the district’s website...
Overtime, hazard pay boost Westmoreland County employee wages in 2020
Nearly a quarter of Westmoreland County employees were forced to sit home without a paycheck for several months last year while furloughed during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Other staffers, though, more than doubled their annual salaries though hazard pay and overtime. A Tribune-Review analysis of overtime and...
Regional impact of 1918 flu pandemic in Western Pennsylvania continued into following year
Closings of schools, taverns and movie theaters, along with warnings against large gatherings, aren’t new in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On Oct. 4, 1918, communities debated how to enforce statewide restrictions as the region was hit hard by a second wave of a global influenza pandemic that ultimately claimed about 2,000 lives...
Mass vaccination programs pave the way for gradual return to school in Pennsylvania
Matt Jones breathed a sigh of relief Friday as he met with Jeannette High School Principal Joe Baker to chart the latest stage in a phased-in return to five-day-a-week in-person classes. Like fellow school administrators across the region, the superintendent of Jeannette schools has spent countless hours on the phone,...
Greensburg man killed in Route 30 motorcycle crash
A 44-year-old Greensburg man was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday evening on Route 30 in Unity. State police said Allen D. Wallace was speeding on his 2010 Yamaha motorcycle shortly after 9 p.m. when he collided with a 2020 Kia Sportage traveling in the same direction. Police said Wallace,...
Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Yough plan graduations for their normal days
Unlike last year, when some high school graduations were pushed back to the summer, seniors at Penn-Trafford, Norwin and Yough will be among those who will graduate at the end of the regular school year. Penn-Trafford is planning to hold its commencement on Thursday, May 27, and Norwin seniors will...
Medical marijuana dispensary opens in IrwinVideo
For Raymond Myers of Irwin, the opening of a new medical marijuana dispensary in the borough is a blessing, a place he can walk to get medication for his anxiety, depression and back pain. “The medical marijuana has really helped me. I use wax and (marijuana) flower. This (Irwin site)...
Driver in fatal Route 30 crash that killed 4 in North Huntingdon arraigned on homicide by vehicle, DUI charges
A Pitcairn man who drove a car authorities said was responsible for a deadly Valentine’s Day crash on Route 30 in North Huntingdon was arraigned Friday on multiple criminal counts, including homicide by vehicle and driving under the influence of alcohol. Police said the 1996 Buick LeSabre driven by Timothy...
First draft of Greensburg Salem School District budget has $1.3 million deficit
Greensburg Salem School District is facing a $1.3 million deficit in the first draft of its 2021-22 budget, though that is almost certain to change before a final budget is passed in June. District Business Manager J.R. Dzurica, in presenting the preliminary budget to the school board this week, cautioned...
Ligonier Valley Historical Society doubles down on wildflowers for 2nd native plant sale
Butterflies are attracted to Virginia bluebells, the Royal Catchfly and rattlesnake master, and staff at the Ligonier Valley Historical Society believe area backyard gardeners also will like them. They’re just three of the 24 varieties of perennials the society is offering this year in its native plant sale, nearly doubling...
Unity expects bond issue to raise $8M for paving, public works equipment, playgrounds
Supervisors in Unity have authorized the township’s first-ever bond issue to help fund a variety of planned improvements and purchases, and they say the resulting debt service will be covered without raising taxes. The supervisors on Thursday authorized a maximum bond issue of about $10.7 million but said they don’t...
Sewickley Township mobile home destroyed by explosion, no injuries reported
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of an explosion that destroyed a mobile home near Sutersville on Thursday night, a Sewickley Township fire official said. The man who lived at the mobile home on Sutersville Road, in the village of Gratztown along the Youghiogheny River, was not...
Westmoreland County preps for expected $107 million stimulus windfall
Westmoreland County could receive about $107.1 million from the federal American Rescue Plan to bolster its budget and fund projects to help recover from the coronavirus pandemic. The allocation is part of the $13.7 billion awarded to Pennsylvania and includes funding for county and local governments, according to a report...
Mt. Pleasant Township man charged with threatening troopers with knife
A Mt. Pleasant Township man is in the county jail on $10,000 bond because he was charged with threatening to stab two state troopers, according to court records. Chad E. Heiser, 42, of Hecla was arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, harassment, simple assault and terroristic threats in connection with...
In-person visits at Westmoreland Manor expected to resume soon
Westmoreland Manor could begin in-person visits with residents within weeks even as coronavirus cases continue to pop up among residents and staff at the county-owned nursing home in Hempfield. Officials said Thursday that one additional case was reported and there are three active coronavirus infections among residents at the 403-bed...
Youngwood man to serve nearly 2 decades on parole for child endangerment, corruption of minors
A Youngwood man will serve 19 years on probation after he pleaded guilty Thursday to two felony counts of child endangerment and two misdemeanor counts of corruption of minors. Jack Bates,, 47, formerly of Greensburg, who originally was charged with rape and sexual assault of two teenage girls, said it...
